Triumfetta procumbens

Forst. f.

Bingil Burr, Beach burr

MalvaceaeFruitPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

The fruit are eaten.

Known Hazards

Four reptiles and six cetaceans are endangered and may or may not be found on or around Diego Garcia: Hawksbill turtle (Eretmocheyls imbricata) – known; leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) – possible; green turtle (Chelonia mydas) – known; olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys oliveacea) – possible; sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) – possible; sei whale (Balaeonoptera borealis) – possible; finback whale (Balaeonoptera physalus) – possible; Bryde's whale (Balaeonoptera edeni) – possible; blue whale (Balaeonoptera musculus) – possible; humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) – possible; southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) – possible.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows at sea levels on beaches and on sandy soils. It grows on atolls.

American Samoa, Australia, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Caroline Islands, China, Chuuk, Fiji, FSM, Japan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Malesia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Pacific, Palau, Rotuma, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, Yap,

Countries: American Samoa, Australia, Brunei, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Indonesia, British Indian Ocean Territory, Japan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Laos, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Malaysia, Nauru, Niue, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Palau, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Singapore, Thailand, Tokelau, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa

How to Identify

A low shrub. It is spreading and can have stems lying along the ground. They are 2-3 m long. The leaves are broad and oval. The flowers are yellow. The fruit are round with 4 locules. They are 2 cm across. There are 1 or 2 seeds per cell.

Notes

There are about 150 Triumfetta species. They are mostly in the tropics and subtropics. It has also been put in the family Sparmanniaceae. It may eventually be put in the family Malvaceae. These have also been in the family Tiliaceae.

Names & Synonyms

Atat, Konup, Mautofu tai, Te kiaou, Totolo, Totoro, Wa loa

References (9)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2733
Franklin, J., Keppel, G., & Whistler, W., 2008, The vegetation and flora of Lakeba, Nayau and Aiwa Islands, Central Lau Group, Fiji. Micronesica 40(1/2): 169–225, 2008
Parham, B. E. V., 1971, The Vegetation of the Tokelau Islands with special reference to the Plants of Nukunonu Atoll. New Zealand Journal of Botany. 9:4, 576-609
Parham, B. E. V., 1972, Plants of Samoa. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Information Series. No. 85 p 65
Smith, A.C., 1981, Flora Vitiensis Nova, Lawaii, Kuai, Hawaii, Volume 2 p 379
Thaman, R. R., 1987, Plants of Kiribati: A listing and analysis of vernacular names. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 296
Thaman, R. R, 2016, The flora of Tuvalu. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 611. Smithsonian Institute p 116
Topp, J. M. W., 1988, An Annotated Check List of the Flora of Diego Garcia, British Ocean Territory. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 313
Williams, K.A.W., 1999, Native Plants of Queensland Volume 4. Keith A.W. Williams North Ipswich, Australia. p 374

What to Eat

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

How to Identify

Notes

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